Sherborn Peace Abbey property sold

A year after the Peace Abbey put its North Main Street property on the market, the multi-faith center's founder said he was relieved to finally find a buyer last week.

Sherborn resident Bob Murchison finalized the purchase of 2-4 North Main St. last Friday, according to Lewis Randa, whose Peace Abbey has moved most of its furnishings, materials and other holdings to UMass Boston's Healey Library.

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

Posted Dec. 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 26, 2012 at 5:53 AM

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

Posted Dec. 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 26, 2012 at 5:53 AM

SHERBORN

» Social News

Editor's note: In this story published Dec. 26, the Daily News incorrectly stated the selling price of the former Peace Abbey property was $300,000, which was the consideration listed in the Registry of Deeds for 2-4 North Main St. According to buyer Bob Murchison, that was just the price for one of the deeds to the property; all of the deeds added up to $1 million, he said.

A year after the Peace Abbey put its North Main Street property on the market, the multi-faith center's founder said he was relieved to finally find a buyer last week.

Sherborn resident Bob Murchison finalized the purchase of 2-4 North Main St. last Friday, according to Lewis Randa, whose Peace Abbey has moved most of its furnishings, materials and other holdings to UMass Boston's Healey Library.

Proceeds from the sale will help the Peace Abbey pay off its mortgage and repay shareholders.

"We're thrilled," Randa said. "It's a big sense of relief."

Founded in 1988 as a place dedicated to peace and social justice, the center became well known for welcoming visitors from all over the world. In more recent years, however, the Peace Abbey was unable to find funding to remain at the Sherborn property, which houses a pacifist museum, bed-and-breakfast, barn and multi-faith chapel.

"It's sad on the one hand that we couldn't afford to stay there," Randa said.

But the center's incorporation into UMass Boston's Center and Archives for Peace, Social Action, Public Policy, and the Arts will allow the Peace Abbey to have a "much greater impact than we possibly could have had in a suburb," he said. "It's an extraordinary spot."

Randa's Life Experience School, which helped inspire the creation of the Peace Abbey, will also continue to operate in Millis. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the school offers programs for developmentally disabled adults.

While the center itself will no longer be linked to the Sherborn site, Randa said Murchison has agreed to keep the Peace Abbey's two memorials there in perpetuity. He also plans to restore the existing buildings, according to Randa.

"He's really committed to turning this property into something beautiful," he said, "to make it all that it can be for the town of Sherborn."

Murchison, who could not be reached for comment this week, moved with his family from Boston to Sherborn in 2000, according to his profile on the website of his investment company, Fenix Partners.

Thanks to the sale, Randa said he would immediately begin paying off the Peace Abbey's $337,000 debt to the bank and its shareholders, the latter of which have helped keep the center afloat over the past four years.

"We never asked anyone to be a shareholder - these were people who recognized the work of the Abbey was worth offering," said Randa, who gave them his "deep gratitude."

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While it closes a storied chapter in Sherborn, Randa said the sale also ensures the Peace Abbey's mission has "come full circle," as his focus on the center now returns to the Life Experience School.

"It's proven to be quite extraordinary," he said of the Peace Abbey's journey. "We've been blessed over the years."

Scott O'Connell can be reached at 508-626-4449 or soconnell@wickedlocal.com.